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Easter Sunday, April 5th

If the world could take Jesus of Nazareth and nail Him to a cross, and that be the end of the story, you and I would be faced with some dark and dismal conclusions. It would mean that in this world, despite the presence of love and goodness and truth, hate and evil and falsehood have the final say. Life on this earth is but a brief interlude. Death is the ultimate reality, and hope is an empty dream. That’s what the “crucifixion” of Christ said about our world.
But the “resurrection” was the action of a higher court, overturning this verdict and completely reversing the ruling. When Jesus arose from the grave, God was saying to this world; love is stronger than hate, and truth is more lasting than lies. The present order of things is a confusing hodge-podge of good and evil. At times it seems that “right” is forever on the scaffold, and “wrong” is forever on the throne. But don’t go away! The show isn’t over! God is not finished with this world yet. There is more to come. We must believe that this world is not in its final form but is moving toward some ultimate purpose that is yet to be achieved and revealed. And this is where the message of Easter becomes relevant and real and very important.
We will hear once again in the weeks to come how the Apostles and many disciples of Jesus were to the point of despair. They feared for their lives. They had put their trust and hope in Jesus as the “Christ”, the “long-awaited One,” to the point that they saw their future in a very bright light and the restoration of Israel as a “slam-dunk!” With the death of Jesus on the cross the light was extinguished and Israel was lost.
Easter is a reminder that our failures and disappointments, our mistakes and struggles, our doubts and fears, don’t have to be the “end of the story.” They are certainly “part of our story,” but not the final chapter. Jesus has written the final chapter of our story, and that of the world as well, with His resurrection from the dead. His resurrection is a message of Hope for our world, in which there is all too much hate and evil and falsehood. Because of His resurrection, St. Paul can assure us that there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more suffering, only faith, hope, and love.
HAPPY EASTER! -Msgr. Greg